Yainer Diaz DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz was just 2-for-33 on the season coming into Friday's game against the Angels, but he broke through in a big way, going 3-for-5 with a double, his first home run of the season, and five RBI. His home run was a grand slam in the fifth inning off of relief pitcher Garrett McDaniels, and he added his RBI double in the sixth to help power the Astros to a 14-3 victory. Diaz is still hitting just .132 over his first 10 games of the season with a .199 wOBA, but hopefully, this is a sign that he's ready to snap out of his slump and go on a roll. Last year, he had 16 homers and a .329 wOBA with 84 RBI in 148 games, and his fantasy managers will hope this big game gets him back on track.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is not in the starting nine when the Astros travel to Minnesota to face the Twins on Thursday afternoon. Diaz has been behind the dish in each of the past three contests but will cede duties to Victor Caratini this afternoon. Caratini will bat in the six-hole. Over his past three contests, Diaz tallied just one hit across 11 at-bats and struck out twice through five total games. Diaz has tallied just two hits and held a 1:4 BB:K. Fantasy managers should expect Diaz to return to the starting nine on Saturday afternoon when they continue this three-game set against the Twins. Caratini has seen four at-bats and tallied one hit. He is best to leave out of your DFS lineup this afternoon facing Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan, who allowed one run across five innings in his last start.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is not in Saturday's lineup for the final game of their opening series against the New York Mets. Diaz got the starting nod behind the dish for the first two games and went 1-for-7 at the plate with one RBI and a 1:2 BB:K. Instead, Victor Caratini will get the nod behind the dish and bat sixth. Fantasy managers should expect Diaz to return to the starting nine on Monday evening when the Astros host the San Francisco Giants. Diaz enjoyed a breakout campaign last season as he appeared in a career-high 148 contests and posted a .299/.325/.441 slash line with 16 long balls and two stolen bases. Caratini held a .268/.336/.408 slash line last season and is worth a look in DFS as a value option facing Griffin Canning. Caratini should see several RBI opportunities batting in the heat of a potent Houston lineup.